


Snapshot of a Complication

by Insomnia_in_Portland



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, CEO!Phil, Darcy Disapproves of Violence Against Hospitals, Hero!Darcy, PA!Fitz, SHIELD is Global Entity, Secrets, Someone is Phil Coulson's Daughter, Taser!Darcy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 15:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6812326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insomnia_in_Portland/pseuds/Insomnia_in_Portland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy can overlook a lot of things related to Phil Coulson.</p>
<p>This is not one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshot of a Complication

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!
> 
> I was deleting some old things on my laptop and came across this. I decided to finish it off and post it. This is part of the whole Taser!Darcy thing I started with my _Electric Heart_ fic. This takes place in Darcy's home universe.

Darcy was going to kill Phil.

To be clear, she loved the man. He was intelligent, handsome, had fabulous arms, looked damn fine in a suit, and provided all the cuddles she wanted when crime-fighting got rough. It was just unfortunate that he was also one of her main enemies. Only she and Team SCIENCE knew the truth. Everyone else knew Phil as the CEO of global security firm, SHIELD, Inc. SHIELD dealt with all matters pertaining to security and protection. They made billions offering their services to rival corporations, museums, and foreign governments. Phil captained a tight ship. Every one of his employees knew their duties and performed them to the letter. 

To the city and global public, he was a high-caliber philanthropist. His position as CEO made him a wealthy man. Only Darcy, Team SCIENCE, and Phil’s main accountant knew that a good portion of his wealth was stolen from his predecessor. Phil, though, put his ill-gotten gains to good use. He donated generously to worthy causes. There was an entire room at SHIELD’s headquarters devoted to his numerous awards. NGOs and non-profits competed to have his support for projects. Schools were built because of him. Wings of buildings were named after him. He endeared himself further to the public by actually taking the time to mentor ambitious millennials, creating a cadre of devoted admirers in the process. Only a handful became his ‘pets.’ They were individuals who earned his permanent attention for their skills, intelligence, ambition or some combo of the three. One current pet was Darcy’s friend, Daisy Johnson. The reporter for the _Rising Tide_ both amused and exasperated Phil with her antics. (There was also a rumor they were involved. Daisy always sputtered whenever Darcy brought it up.)

The philanthropic veneer hid a ruthless core. Philip Coulson was a dangerous man on two fronts. The first was in politics. His prominent position in business gave him open access to the political realm. Many wannabes desperately sought his support. Phil publically declined supporting anyone for office. Darcy found the truth more sinister. Phil was actually the shadow kingmaker. Nearly every important office in the city was filled by one of his puppets. They served no one’s will but his. One example was her father and all six City Councilmembers. All of them were in Phil’s pocket. They and their peers implemented policies to benefit SHIELD. They were designed in such a way that the public never suspected anything was amiss. 

The second was in crime. Phil and SHIELD publically supported attempts to curb violence. Privately, they were lords of the underworld. It took Darcy months to learn SHIELD has a second source of wealth; all of it coming from criminal dealings. She was amazed by how far their tentacles stretched. Drugs, arms dealing, extortion, kidnapping, and assassination all brought in heavy money. (It took her brutal destruction of a human trafficking ring to force Phil out of prostitution. Dumping the ringleader’s fried corpse on SHIELD’s doorstep helped.) His political connections and status made Phil an untouchable kingpin. He personally oversaw SHIELD’s money laundering empire. For a fee, multiple bosses used it to disperse their own ill-gotten gains. 

Were she a better vigilante, she would have destroyed Phil. She and her team would have exposed him for the mastermind he was. They had twenty drives with enough data to send him away for centuries. Instead, she continued to put up with him. She willingly overlooked all the villains he sent her way. Forgiven were the attempts to bribe/kill her. She blamed her weakness on his willingness to aid her when she needed it. The sex was an added/misfortunate bonus. Yet there was one thing Darcy could not forgive Phil for and she was currently unconscious at Darcy’s feet. 

Tapping her foot, Darcy silently willed the elevator to move faster. She regretted not flying directly to Phil’s office. Breaking windows would have lightened her mood. Despite her annoyance, she opted to honor his request to not break anymore windows. She just wished she brought a book or her knitting. According to her visor-clock, it had taken her 45 min. just to get to her current position at the 56th floor. Phil’s offices were on the 93rd. She glanced down at her cargo. The latter lay motionless, unaware of anything.

“This is all your fault.” Darcy was glad her voice modulator still worked. “If you hadn’t decided to blow up that hospital, we wouldn’t be here.” 

Only she and her cargo were aboard. Three times did the elevator stop for waiting passengers and no one dared step inside when the doors slid open. Darcy could only sigh. She knew she looked horrible. Her armor was caked with blood and dust. Glass shards were embedded in both legs while her left gauntlet was a scorched a deep ink. She was just grateful she has the sense to phase into her heavy armor. It prevented her from sustaining serious injury. Her cargo was a different story. She was tightly wrapped in heavy steel cable. The only things visible were her bloody feet, bare shoulders, and head. Her hair was matted by blood, sweat and dust. Darcy wondered how someone so tiny could be so horrid. 

The rest of the ride passed in frustrated silence. It took a good 93 min. to ascend to Phil’s offices. By the time the elevator began slowing to a stop, Darcy had already plotted 45 ways to ruin SHIELD’s illicit activities. Topping her list was utterly destroying SHIELD’s weapons department. It was a vast section that occupied floors 57-64. It was filled with all kinds of illegal weaponry that begged for destruction. Her musings were sporadically interrupted by a faint crackling in her ears. Faint voices could be heard. She suspected Team SCIENCE was trying to reestablish her com-links. When the elevator finally stopped, she put her mind to her current task. She stooped, seized a chunk of cable, and hoisted her cargo up. The doors opened with a cheery ding.

The elevator Darcy was in was one of six that traversed the full height of SHIELD headquarters. They ended in a small lobby. It was a claustrophobic space illuminated only by a skylight. The bland beige floor funneled into a corridor. It opened onto a vast waiting area. Darcy’s past crashes forced Phil to redesign everything. To the right was a soft-blue wall. It replaced the glass one that had provided a neat look at the city below. Two vending machines stood at opposite ends with a table between them. It was laden with various forms in different hues. A sea of beige carpet separated it from the sunken waiting area. A step down put one among plush leather seats and small tables. The waiting area faced the remaining windows. Above was a lattice-work skylight. The sun created a dappled pattern upon the carpet. Directly ahead was an oak wall broken open by a small corridor that led to Phil’s offices. Blocking that corridor was a heavy metal desk. It was oddly designed. One end jutted out and back, creating a small barrier.

Darcy took everything in and sighed. She was going to have words with Phil about his decorating. On the plus side, the only person in the room was his PA. Leo Fitz was an anxious guy who once worked in the engineering department. An accident rendered him unable to continue his work. Phil, in a rare moment of pity, decided to keep him on as his PA. Fitz was now tasked with the daily tedium Phil had no patience for. One task was to sit behind that metal desk and pretend Phil was not in. This day found him glaring at a thin red tablet.

Darcy studied him. Dark circles were becoming prominent under bloodshot eyes. His skin was oddly pale. She noticed slight tremors erupting along his shoulders. He got up to pace. She was surprised by his attire. Fitz was a devoted sweater-and-jeans-man. He was currently wearing a rumpled white shirt and grey slacks. Wearing nice clothes signaled Phil’s displeasure over something. Darcy sighed. Well, she just hoped her stunt would not cause Fitz to be fired.

The carpet muffled her steps as she traipsed into the area. She calmly sauntered up to the desk, cargo held aloft. Fitz never noticed her. His attention remained on his tablet. She gently coughed.

“Coulson isn’t available for meetings today,” was Fitz’s automatic reply. “Please fill out a form and I’ll schedule you.”

“Oh, I know he’s in. I saw his car in the parking lot,”

Fitz froze. He knew that voice. Everyone in SHIELD knew that voice. Throat working violently, he slowly turned his head. His heart dropped down to the sidewalk below. Taser, the city’s resident vigilante, stood opposite him. His eyes took in the damage to her person. Contrary to reports, she had suffered damage to her armor. Beneath the veneer of bloody dust were cracks and light scorch marks. One gauntlet bore signs of heavy thermal damage. Glass shards were embedded in both legs. There was even crackling over her iconic amethyst faceplate. The fact she was not teetering meant she had not suffered serious injury. His eyes wandered to the person she carried. The person’s head lolled back. His eyes widened. Despite the dust and heavy bruising, he recognized the woman Taser carried.

Taser’s voice interrupted his shock. “I’m going to say this once. I want to speak to Coulson. I am going to speak to Coulson. If I don’t, I will go back downstairs and blow your fucking weapons department into the next century.”

Fitz’s mouth spoke before his brain could work. “And if he refuses?”

Taser sighed. She calmly walked away from the desk towards the waiting area. Hopping down onto a seat, she dropped her cargo unceremoniously onto a table. Fitz winced at the dull thud. She calmly strode to the glass wall, raising her good gauntlet high. Tongues of blue light began to dance over her fingers before slithering into her palm. She pressed her hand to the glass. Fitz toppled over as he scrambled over his desk.

“Please! No, no!”

The entire building quivered violently as the exterior, from floors 93 to 70, disappeared. Bystanders below scurried as metal, glass, and brick plummeted toward them. Alarms went off on all floors below 93, demanding employees and visitors vacate the premises. Taser dared to peek into the abyss. She glimpsed a swelling sea of humanity rushing away from the building. A throat, a familiar throat, cleared behind her.

“This is your fault, y’know,” she said calmly, not bothering to turn around. She did take a few steps back.

“How so?” demanded Phil. He was surprisingly calm for someone whose building had just been damaged.

“You can’t expect me to clean up after you when one of your pets gets mad at you.”

“What are you talking about?”

His confusion had her turning around. The retort on her lips died when she beheld his attire. Phil was stood before her wearing a fluffy green bathrobe, flip-flops, and a very annoyed expression. She studied his head. His immaculate hair was spiky, little droplets sliding down his forehead. His clenched jaw screamed to be unhinged.  
She gestured at his getup. “What were you-“

“I was in the shower,” said Phil calmly. “Mayor Stark called me about the events at Archer’s Peak. He wanted me to show up for damage control. That doesn’t explain why you’re mad at me.”

“Doesn’t it?” Taser folded her arms over her chest. “Haven’t you been paying attention to the news?”

“I’ve had meetings since six this morning.” Phil’s tone now carried his impatience.

“Ah.” Taser flopped down in the nearest seat. “I’m disappointed, Coulson. You’re usually so on top of things. I’m shocked you didn’t know one of your pets decided to blow up an entire hospital. One, I recall, you helped break ground for.”

Phil turned to look at the unconscious being on the table. Fitz was at their side, trying to remove the cable. He looked back at Taser. “Who is that?”

She chuckled, opting to continue like she had not heard him. “I was with the Science Sluts this morning. Barton wanted to test some new upgrades for my armor and Romanov decided this was a perfect time to test out my new gauntlets. It was so fun; I got to blow up so much shit! But then the alarm went off and I had to go play hero at Archer’s Peak.” She leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “Imagine my surprise when I found an evacuation in progress. A bunch of guards told me there was a crazy bitch tossing some jacked-up grenades all over the place. I flew in and started looking for said crazy bitch. Imagine my surprise when Crazy Bitch turned out to be Jemma Simmons.”

Phil’s start was nearly imperceptible. He turned and strode to the table. Fitz stepped back. Phil gently lifted the grimy head and looked down at the battered face. Fitz gulped at his expression. Taser could practically hear his spine stiffen. She continued.

“Oh, she was pissed. She kept going on and on about dishonor and lies and a bunch of other BS. I tried to talk her down, but she was so pissed. She launched a bunch of those damn grenades at me. I was too busy shooing people away that I didn’t see the switch she had around her wrist. When I finally did, it, well, was too late.”

Phil gently dropped Simmons’ head. He glanced briefly at Fitz. His assistant was puzzled by the volatile look in his eyes.

Taser sat up. She stared at Phil. “We were in the main hospital. She took it all out, but I guess she didn’t anticipate how strong the blast would be ‘cause she got caught up in it too. When I came to, she was buried in the rubble. Her leg was the only thing sticking out so I did my duty and dug the bitch out. I wrapped some cable around her and dragged her so I could yell at you.”

“Did you kill her?” Phil’s voice was a rasp.

“If I had, I would’ve dumped her outside on your car.” She stood. “Personally, I could care less if she never wakes up, but that’s beside the point.” She took a step toward Phil. “What I care about is knowing what you did to piss her off so much that she decided to go blow up a hospital.”

Beneath her helmet, Darcy was mulling over Phil’s behavior. She thought he would have an easy explanation for Simmons’ actions as he had known her the best. Yet his silence and tense demeanor bewildered her. When he turned to face her, she did not anticipate his pained expression. Nor did she expect his next words.

“She found out she’s my daughter.”  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
Taser was silent while Fitz sputtered like a lunatic. Phil simply awaited the volley of questions. He knew he needed to tell her about Simmons. It was not his fault he kept forgetting. He was ready for the coming anger, the inevitable rage. Instead, Taser dropped back onto her seat, bewilderment obvious in her stiff posture. Phil took the opportunity to glance back at Fitz and nod at the corridor. Fitz did not need any encouragement. He quickly turned, scrambled towards and over the desk, and scurried off down the corridor to the safety of Phil’s office. When he heard the distant din of a door shutting, Phil turned his attention to more pressing matters. He went and took a seat close to Taser. She was still processing what he told her. After a moment, her helmeted head turned to him.

“You have a daughter?” Even with the damaged voice modulator, he could hear the incredulity in her voice. 

Phil inwardly steadied himself. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Jemma Simmons is your daughter.” 

“Correct.” 

Taser’s head moved to look down at her unconscious cargo. “You have a daughter. Jemma Simmons is that daughter.”

Phil said nothing. He watched Taser slowly get and begin pacing on the other side of the table. One gauntleted hand came up and rubbed over the top of her helmet. She said nothing. Phil took the opportunity to study the damage to her armor. He mentally cringed at the fact her heavy armor had taken that much of a beating. His musing was cut short when Taser stopped pacing and faced him.

“You have a daughter. You have a daughter named Jemma Simmons.”

Phil stood. “Yes. Jemma is my daughter.”

Taser pointed at her cargo. “And you can confirm that this crazy bitch is Simmons?”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

Taser nodded. “Okay. I have one thing to say to you right now.”

“And that would be?” Phil knew what was coming.

“WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU TELL ME!” Taser threw up her arms in annoyance. Phil made to duck. “Oh, relax. I’m not going to kill you. I’d just like to know how you decided NOT tell me that you, criminal mastermind extraordinaire, had a CHILD!”

“I kept meaning to, but I kept forgetting!” Phil shouted as he scrambled back from the advancing hero.

“Oh, don’t give me that!” Taser snarled as she waggled a finger in his face. Flecks of blue crackled at the tip. “You had plenty of chances to tell me you had a kid!” She stopped, than sighed deeply. “Christ, Phil, you realize this puts both of us in very bad spots.”

Glad of her changing mood, Phil took a seat. “I understand that. Believe me, I understand. But can we just talk for a sec?”

“What’s there to talk about?” asked Taser as she sat down again. “Jemma Simmons, the woman you’re now claiming is your daughter, blew up a hospital and almost hundreds of people with it. I’ve overlooked a lot of things with you, but this crosses a line, Phil.”

Phil sighed. He glanced at the unconscious Jemma. “How bad was it?” He looked at Taser. “Before she detonated whatever she had?”

“Let’s just say you’re going to be having words with your Weapons people,” said Taser. “Those grenades she was tossing looked like they came from here. But, like I said, I was too busy herding people to the exits to pay much attention. You might also check for missing bombs or like material. That explosion was strong.” 

Phil groaned as he buried his face in his hands. This was not the way he envisioned telling her about his child. 

“How long ago did you find out?”

Phil raised his head. “Ten months.”

Taser groaned as she plopped back on the chair. “You stupid son of a-“

“I didn’t know at first. HYDRA sent us a virus that fried all of our systems. It took eight months just to get every corrupted file off our systems. I never suspected a thing. By then, it was probably too late. Jemma was already an integral part of SHIELD’s science division. She and Fitz were attached at the hip. May even loved her. I was planning on promoting her to Head of Biosciences when Hill showed up on morning with a file. She told me some of the personnel files had been saved, but there was something in Jemma’s I needed to see.”

“It turned out to be a DNA test. The doctor who took samples from her when she joined realized something was wrong when my file kept coming up attached to hers. She sent off the blood sample to our genetics department for further testing. The results came the day HYDRA hit us. It turns out I was Jemma’s father.”

Taser sat up slightly. She could only imagine the look on Hill’s face when she saw those results. “So, when did you tell Jemma.”

Phil glanced at her. “I didn’t. I never got the chance to.” Seeing Taser sit up suddenly, he elaborated. “I didn’t know what to do at first. Hill finally snapped and told me to tell her before someone else did. So I planned. I decided to invite her to dinner at my home. I didn’t want a big public meltdown if she took it badly.” He got up to pace. “I never got the chance to tell her. She stormed into my office one Thursday before I left for a conference. To sum it up, she hated me, wanted me to die, and quit SHIELD. I later found out from Fitz that she had been having problems with a biologist in the Research department. They were arguing before the idiot spilled the beans about the DNA test in front of the whole lab.”

“Oh, God,” said Taser as she helmet-palmed.

“That idiot thought I was playing favorites by promoting his own daughter, a newcomer, over the more seasoned SHIELD associates. Well, Jemma left after she screamed at me and I haven’t seen hair or hide of her until today.”

Silence fell between them. In the distance, they could hear sirens and the respectful hum of helicopters. Phil stopped his pacing to stare at his unconscious child. Steely anguish filled every atom of his being. He had prayed she would calm after her initial anger. After her departure, he opted to wait. He did not want to anger her further by pestering her as it would drive her further away. As he studied Jemma’s battered face, regret made his heart falter. The fact she had lashed out with such violence, and against innocents of all people, pained him in ways none of his dealings ever did.

A firm hand on his arm dragged him back to reality. He turned his head. Taser stood beside him. Her closeness allowed him to see the crackling on her faceplate. He reached up and gently traced the spider-web of lines with a shaking finger. Taser allowed it.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, dropping his hand.

Taser thumped her chest with a chuckle. “I’m good right now. I’ll probably be sore when I phase out, but I’m okay.” Glancing at her cargo, she continued with a sigh. “Look, Phil. You know that I’ve let you get away with a lot of shit in the past. But what happened today is something I can’t turn a blind eye to.”

“You know SHIELD-“

“I know you guys will find some way to spin this in your favor. You’ll even earn good will by paying for all the damage and medical bills, but that’s easy for you.” Taser walked around to the other side of the table. “The problem is what you’ll do with Jemma.”

Phil felt himself bristle at the underlying accusation. “I will turn her into the authorities.”

Taser regarded him. “You’ve said that in the past and never did.”

Phil wanted to snap a denial, but knew it would be a lie. All he could muster was, “She’s my daughter.”

“Now I know that, Phil. But being your daughter does not excuse what she tried to do,” said Taser calmly. “I can’t just turn a blind eye and expect you to take care of things. I’m taking her to the police. I know they’ll deal with her properly.”

“And who will you take her to?” Phil snapped suddenly as he rounded the table to glare at her. “You know I own every cop in this city.”

Taser stepped close. “Not everyone’s in SHIELD’s pocket. I’ll take her to Sam Wilson at the 67th. He’s a good guy and probably the only cop who doesn’t like you.”

A tense quiet fell. Taser waited for Phil to level every threat he could. She knew he would want to protect his newfound child with every resource he could muster. Instead, she watched Phil’s face crumple into weariness. He turned, trudged to a chair, and plopped down. Taking that as her cue, Taser reached down, seized the cables, and hoisted her cargo up.

“Do you really need to carry her like that?” asked Phil quietly.

Taser shrugged. She turned to make her way to the gaping hole, stopped, and half-turned back. “Phil?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now, but just know that I’m sorry I’m a part of it.”

Phil’s lips quirked up. “If anyone’s sorry, it’s me. I hope you’ll forgive me for being the cause of today’s trouble.”

Taser said nothing. She turned back, walked toward the hole, and promptly walked out into oblivion. Phil had seen it enough to not race over. He just waited. Within seconds, a familiar form zoomed up past the hole. Phil felt himself smile. He would make it up to Darcy somehow. He just hoped she would leave his weapons department alone.


End file.
